


On second thoughts

by Miss_Kitten



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 16:11:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12751713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Kitten/pseuds/Miss_Kitten
Summary: When you first meet Sirius, you don’t like him. He wants to change it, yet his plan is quite extraordinary.





	On second thoughts

You absently fidget your fingers as you look at Remus standing next to you. He is staring at a building with number 12 on Grimmauld street, a soft fond smile playing at his lips.

“You’re going to love this place.”

“Are you sure?” you ask, not entirely sure. Recommended by Remus, you have asked to join the Order and Dumbledore, of course, agreed. Being a remarkable student while in Hogwarts, he remembered you and was happy that you were interested in joining the fight. Your experience as a traveler and knowledge of fantastic creatures made you a great addition.

However, it didn’t made you less nervous. You’ve known Remus for a long while, the rest has still been a mystery to you. Will they approve of you? Will there be arguments?

You heave out a sight and Remus places a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

“Y/N, stop worrying. Molly will most likely shower you with affection. You’re too skinny, she won’t like it, so prepare for a bit of scolding. Arthur is going to flood you with questions, he’s so excited to meet you. Sirius, well…” Remus grimaces a little and you frown.

“I know that Sirius got away from Azkaban, it’s not a secret.”

“Yes, and he’s… one of a kind. But you’ll see for yourself. Now, come on in, I saw the curtain moving.”

You nod and take a deep breath as you climb the stairs, close to Remus. He opens the door for you and you step in, immediately greeted with smiling faces.

“Oh, you must be Y/N!” a short woman with fiery red hair comes forward and you smile at her. You find yourself already fond of her. “I’m Molly, and that’s my husband, Arthur.”

A man behind her waves a hand at you and you flash him a smile.

“All those rascals with red hair are our children,” she turns around and looks at each of them. On whoever her gaze falls, tells their name and when they’re over, Molly wraps an arm around a girl with curly brown hair. “And that’s Hermione, the wisest of us all. And Harry,” she pats a boy in glasses on his back and he smiles at you awkwardly.

“Sirius is in the kitchen,” Harry answers the unasked question and Molly nods.

“He’s waiting for an apple pie to cool. Now, Y/N, are you hungry?”

“I ate-“

“Oh, nonsense, look at you! Skin and bones!”

“Molly, Y/N can eat more than me and Sirius combined,” Remus breaks in but Molly only shakes her head, taking your hand in hers.

“I have to see it for myself,” she practically drags you to the kitchen, the rest of gathering following you and for a moment, you feel overwhelmed. There are too many people at once, too much noise but as you enter the kitchen, everything stops.

“Sirius!” Molly hollers and you jump, started. The man in question is gazing at her with an innocent look in his eyes as he shamelessly finishes a plate of the apple pie.

“It was delicious, Molly,” he states and when his eyes land on you, you narrow yours. Something about him makes you resent him, even if you don’t know him yet. Maybe his disheveled hair, maybe his oddly looking beard and moustache. Or maybe that sly smirk on his lips.

“But I’ve baked it for our guest!”

“Ah, the beast-whisperer,” he puts an empty plate on the table and stand up, stepping to face you. You eye him but he doesn’t seem to be intimidated. Quite the opposite, frankly.

“Sirius Black, nice to meet you.”

“Y/N, can’t tell the same.”

“Remus didn’t mention you have a ready tongue.”

“Because he did nothing to deserve such a treatment,” you quirk up your brow and much to your amusement, a few giggles ring from the younger part of the group.

“And what did I do, if I may ask?”

“You ate the entire pie. I really wanted to have a slice.”

“And that’s a capital crime in your book?” he teases and you fold your arms across your chest.

“Maybe not that drastic, mister Black but patience is a virtue and civility doesn’t cost a penny. Have you waited a minute or two, we would be enjoying a nice afternoon tea. But now…” you trail off and give him a judgmental look before turning around to gaze at Molly.

“Remus told me you’re rather fond of tea. I brought a blend that you should like,” you say in a soft voice, a change that surprises Sirius. While talking to him your tone was stern and cold but to Molly… you seemed to be an absolute angel.

“At least we’ll have a tea,” you add, glancing at Sirius and he smirks.

When you and Molly chat, brewing the tea, Sirius walks to Remus and takes a sea next to his friend.

“I like her.”

“She hates you already. I told you to behave, how hard it can be?”

“What was so wrong in eating that bloody pie?”

“Molly prepared it especially for Y/N. So our new addition to the team, and yes, Y/N is a member of the Order now, would feel welcomed.”

Sirius waves his hand dismissively.

“Molly can bake another one. And Y/N won’t hold a grudge against me, will she?”

“Oh, you’d be surprised, my friend…”

A moment of silence falls between the two men, Sirius visibly mulling.

“Remus, you told me she could tame any kind of creature, right?”

“Whatever you’re thinking about, don’t do it,” Remus warns, giving his friend a stern look. Sirius only smirks.

“I’ve just got the best idea ever.”

_______

During a couple of days you’ve spent at the Grimmauld Place you managed to feel at home, mostly thanks to Molly. She made sure everyone felt comfortable, cooking the most tasty meals you’ve ever eaten.

Arthur indeed has been flooding you with questions, but you loved his curiosity. It was nice to have someone so interested in your work and, much to your happiness, you’ve noticed the inseparable trio joining Arthur in endless questioning.

Surprisingly, you haven’t seen Sirius. You have spotted him talking to Remus once or twice but other than that, not once have you been in the same room as him. Not that you complained, in your opinion he was insufferable, no matter how many times Remus has assured you that Sirius was a great man.

You have yet to witness it, to be honest.

You have woken up early this morning, earlier than anyone else. It was a normal thing – you were used to sleep less. You wander to kitchen, about to start making breakfast for the group, yet a strange sound stops you just as you walk past the front door.

It sounds as if someone or something is scratching at the door and you furrow your brows, approaching it cautiously.

The noise repeats, followed by a bark and you freeze. A dog? Nobody told you they own a dog. Maybe it ran from one of the neighbors?

You decide to take a risk and open the door. On the porch sits a large black dog, it’s grey eyes boring into yours pleadingly and you instantly melt at the sight. Nothing can soften you as quickly and successfully as a creature in need.

“Hello there,” you whisper to the dog and carefully reach out your hand. The dog sniffs it and nudges it so you readily pet it.

“Are you lost? Hungry?”

The dog barks happily and so you step aside and usher it inside. You don’t think about what others will say – a hungry creature needs to be tend to and that’s all you can think about at the moment.

You walk to the kitchen, the dog following suit and you rummage through the fridge, trying to find something you can feed to the dog. You find a piece of meat from yesterday’s dinner and with a wave of your hand, you warm it up and put in front of the dog.

“Here you go, sweetie. Eat up.”

It wiggles its tail and practically devours the meal. Soon enough, a sausage appears on the plate and you can’t help but watch the dog and coo at it, while you prepare the breakfast.

After half an hour, Molly joins you, quite puzzled as to why there is a dog in the kitchen. Although, she seems to be familiar with it.

“We never let him stay in the kitchen. He’ll eat everything.”

“Him? You know this dog?”

“Yes,” she answers, more astonished by your question than the dog itself.

“Do you know its owner by any chance?”

“Y/N, you-“ she’s cut off by a loud bark that startles you both. It sounds like a warning and Molly knits her brows.

“I don’t. His name is Snuffles, by the way.”

“Snuffles?” you glance at the dog and smile fondly. “It suits you, pal.”

“Sure does,” Molly remarks with a hint of humor.

“Can Snuffles stay?” you ask, almost like a child asking their mother for a candy and Molly rolls her eyes at you.

“Yes, but you take care of him. I’m not putting a match to whatever it is.”

“Thank you!” you cheer, hugging her and she chuckles.

“Alright, alright, now let’s get that breakfast ready. They’ll be up soon.”

______

Snuffles became your inseparable companion fast and it soon was normal that wherever you were, Snuffles would be there too. Few times a day you would walk him or simply let him out.

He slept in your room, was almost glued to your legs but you didn’t mind. Every creature was wonderful to you and Snuffles wasn’t an exception.

What bothered you since day one were the weird looks the others would give you every time you petted or talked to the dog. They all looked concerned and you started to wander whether you went crazy about the dog or was it just your imagination.

One time Remus joined you in the living room, with a book of his own, as you sit in the armchair, Snuffles laying by your feet, as per usual, and you could swear they had a some sort of conversation, only exchanging glances.

Remus snorted and shook his head and the dog winked.

Dogs can’t wink knowingly, right?

What was even more puzzling was Sirius’s absence. Remus and Arthur assured you that Sirius was well and he didn’t get lost somewhere or was kidnapped but it’s been almost two weeks since you saw him and you began to worry.

“You know, Snuffles, I think I made a snap judgment,” you stroke the dog’s head leisurely. You’re in your room, worried after yet another conversation with Remus about Sirius. What the hell happened to that man?

“Sirius can’t be that bad, right? He’s friends with Remus and Harry says only nice things about him. Maybe I was wrong? Well, Molly says he can be an arrogant moron sometimes but every man is like that. And I need to remember he spent years in prison, he probably forgot how to treat people kindly.”

The dog barks in protest and you cock a brow.

“Oh, so you think he didn’t forget his manners? They can surely improve, that’s true, but there’s something about him…”

You shake your head and stand up from your sitting position.

“Time to bed, Snuffles. Goodnight, buddy.”

You climb onto your bed and cover yourself with duvet, closing your eyes and trying your best to stop thinking about Sirius Black.

______

An urgent knock on the door rouses Remus from a slumber and with a grunt, he opens it.

“Snuffles. So nice to see you on two legs.”

“Stop it, Remus, we have a serious situation here,” Sirius pushes the door ajar and slides into Remus’s room.

“No, _you_ have a serious situation. I told you not to do it, remember?”

“Yes, yes, but now Y/N likes me and I don’t know what to do. I can’t be a dog forever!”

“If only you listened sometimes…” Remus sighs, making Sirius grimace.

“Sirius, you have to tell her. The sooner the better. Molly will kill you with her bare hands if you keep fooling Y/N.”

“It’s not Molly I’m scared of…”

“Well, you should be. Both of them, frankly. And probably Hermione. Harry is also not very happy about your antics.”

“I’m not a good example, am I?”

Remus cackles.

“No, not really. Just listen to me this time, please.”

Sirius nods and runs a hand over his face.

“I’m going to bed. My bed, this time.”

“I don’t want to be in your skin tomorrow.”

Sirius forces a smile.

“Remus, your support has always been priceless.”

______

When you’re awake, your gaze immediately shifts to Snuffles’s bunk.

Which is empty.

You bolt up, fully awake as you look around the room. He’s not here. And you are more than sure that you didn’t get up at night to let him out.

Maybe someone else heard a scratching and opened the door for him?

You wiggle out of the bed sheets and storm out of your room, ascending the stairs and heading to kitchen.

Molly is already there, as well as Sirius, which shocks you to no end. You send him a surprised look before gazing at Molly.

“Have you seen Snuffles? I woke up and he wasn’t there!”

“I’ve seen him, oh I’ve seen him and he better regret what he did!”

You frown, confused. You turn your eyes at Sirius, who is getting more and more pale with every passing second.

“What’s going on?” you mutter and Molly takes a deep inhale before opening her mouth.

“I told you that Sirius can be an idiot, right? Well, you should listen to his latest brilliant idea! You know where your Snuffles is?!”

You nod fervently, a bit scared of her outburst.

She points a finger at Sirius and your eyes grow wide.

“An unregistered animagus turning into a black dog. Right damn here!”

“Y/N, I can explain!”

But you don’t listen to him. you don’t want to. At this moment you are feeling angry and humiliated. He fooled you, treated you like a stupid girl, took advantage of your affection for animals and played an awful prank on you.

Before you can think twice about what you’re about to do, you take a step forward and wave your hand, slapping Sirius.

Molly gasps, while Sirius falls into a chair, rubbing his face.

“I had it coming,” he mumbles and you fight back an urge to slap him once again.

“Why?! Why did you think that turning into a dog would be a great idea?”

“Because you like dogs!”

“I like people, too!”

“But not me!”

“Well, you should’ve tried to change that as a human, not a bloody dog!”

“I know!” he hangs his head low, sighing. “And I apologize. I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have abused your passion for creatures in such way.”

“At least you realize you did wrong,” you take a seat next to his. “Just don’t do that again.”

“I promise.”

“Molly, can I ask for chamomile?” you say softly and Molly nods, still glancing coldly and angrily at Sirius.

“And for me, too? My stomach is still a bit out of order. Too much dog food, I suppose.”

“Hey, I fed you well!” you protest, playfully swatting his arm and Sirius chuckles.

“You did, but I stayed in dog’s form for too long. Might need a bit more adjustment.”

“I’ll cook you something light for dinner.”

“You can feed humans, too?”

You roll your eyes. Sirius flashes you a smirk and looks at you from under his lashes.

“Can I ask you to do something?”

“Within reason.”

“Can you scratch my scalp? You did it so wonderfully, I kind of miss it.”

Molly burst out into a fit of giggles when she turns around and sees you scratching Sirius’s scalp and his eyes squinted in delight.


End file.
